IAEA Visits Ukrainian Nuclear Plant, UK Selects New Prime Minister, Chileans Vote on Constitution, and More

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visits the recently shelled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russia-occupied Ukraine; the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party chooses the country’s next prime minister; and Chileans vote on a more progressive constitution. 

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Hosts
  • James M. Lindsay
    Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy and Director of Fellowship Affairs
  • Robert McMahon
    Managing Editor

Show Notes

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visits the recently shelled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russia-occupied Ukraine; the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party chooses the country’s next prime minister; and Chileans vote on a more progressive constitution.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Lillian Posner, “Russian Roulette at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” Think Global Health

Ukraine

In this special year-end episode, hosts Bob McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins sit down with the New York Times’ chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe Steven Erlanger to review the biggest stories of the past year and discuss developments to watch in 2025. They analyze the conflicts and political developments in the Middle East and Europe, President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for his national security team, the state of democracy worldwide, and more.

Syria

Syrians begin the early stages of government formation as global and regional powers scramble to devise a strategy for Syria after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad; Georgians protest their government’s postponement of European Union (EU) membership talks as Romanians look for answers following the cancellation of their presidential election results; the United Kingdom (UK) accedes to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership; and China opens an anti-monopoly case against U.S. chipmaker Nvidia.

South Korea

Impeachment looms for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose declaration of martial law spurred mass protests; French lawmakers passed the first no-confidence vote in more than sixty years, as the country is set to mark the the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral; Syrian rebels continue a surprise offensive against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime after seizing the cities of Aleppo and Hama; and U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump threatens 100 percent tariffs on BRICS nations.

Top Stories on CFR

Syria

China

Zoe Liu, the Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Trump’s victory is being viewed in China and what his presidency will mean for the future of U.S.-China economic relations. This episode is the seventh in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

France

The fall of the French government, along with political uncertainty in Germany, has upped the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron amid growing European tensions over migration, Ukraine, and energy policy.